Ten years ago, when Starbucks’ espresso wizards were brewing up new seasonal drink ideas for fall, they came up with a list of 20 finalists and market tested them. The pumpkin concept was initially greeted with a “meh,” falling somewhere in the middle of the pack, outshined by stars such as chocolate caramel or cinnamon spice.

But Starbucks’ product developers saw potential.

“It wasn’t the natural winner, but there was something there,” said Peter Dukes, espresso brand manager for Starbucks, who was on the original team that developed the drink.